Say all you want about Stav Hall — I will continue to defend Stav, if only for the strawberry cream cheese. If no one has my back, I know strawberry cream cheese does. Our caf has started making the delicious pink fluff that has nourished me mentally and physically for weeks more regularly in recent months.
You may think, “what’s the big deal? It’s just a spread,” or “sweet schmear is gross.” I’m afraid I have to disagree. As a lifelong bagel lover, especially of savory bagels, I argue that strawberry cream cheese offers a unique sensory experience unrelated to the bagel canon. It is an incomparable beauty that deserves its own category. The strawberry cream cheese bagel transcends the boundaries of bagels, breakfast food, and dessert, instead combining the three into a singular, delicious force.
If I’m craving a bagel, I never eat a pre-packaged caf bagel. Instead, I make a strawberry cream cheese bagel to supplement a lackluster meal with a filling and aesthetically pleasing creation. Somehow it offsets the chewiness of even the most perfectly toasted caf bagel with its fluffiness. Unlike the standard cream cheese that might as well be a dairy rock, the caf workers who combine the cream cheese with strawberry jam have found the perfect amount of aeration. As a result, the perfectly mixed cream cheese spreads smoothly over bagels and English muffins alike.
I must admit that the color of the strawberry cream cheese plays a significant role in my undying love for the spread. It’s the perfect shade of pink, not too light or dark. It makes for an adorable addition to my plate that slightly brightens my meal on days when I can’t bring myself to eat tortilla line for the fourth consecutive day.
When nothing looks good, I invite you to try the strawberry cream cheese as satiating and satisfying addition to your caf creations. I can guarantee you’ll be left with a full stomach and a smile.
